Meet Toby. Toby the Totbot is his full, manufacturer-given name, and he was a gift from my parents to Anna when she was younger. The kids loved this robot.
A few weeks ago we noticed some suspicious reddish stains on our carpet. Then a few days later Anna handed Toby to Kevin who turned him over, only to make a chilling discovery.
Poor Toby was full of battery acid. Kevin is convinced this should not have happened to a toy so young, so he photo-documented the situation in the event that he gets really ambitious and wants to contact the manufacturer.
Toby has since departed for the landfill where I presume he has been properly laid to rest among styrofoam cups, empty beer cans and diapers. When I asked Anna just now what happened to Toby, she told me, "He had old batteries. He was a robot." Life is mean when you're two. Or when you're a robot.
Meet Toby. Toby the Totbot is his full, manufacturer-given name, and he was a gift from my parents to Anna when she was younger. The kids loved this robot.
A few weeks ago we noticed some suspicious reddish stains on our carpet. Then a few days later Anna handed Toby to Kevin who turned him over, only to make a chilling discovery.
Poor Toby was full of battery acid. Kevin is convinced this should not have happened to a toy so young, so he photo-documented the situation in the event that he gets really ambitious and wants to contact the manufacturer.
Toby has since departed for the landfill where I presume he has been properly laid to rest among styrofoam cups, empty beer cans and diapers. When I asked Anna just now what happened to Toby, she told me, "He had old batteries. He was a robot." Life is mean when you're two. Or when you're a robot.
6 comments:
Yeah, I'm still annoyed by this. I can't figure if the toy or the batteries are to blame. I should maybe know this being an electrical engineer but alas I do not. Though a couple of my coworkers were equally baffled. Anyone have any ideas? Should I be taking Fisher Price to the cleaners for acid staining our precious carpet and teasing our children with the promise of a robot friend who will always be with them? Or should this be a class-action suit against Eveready for destroying poor Toby and, worse, framing him as the culprit? What do you think?
Hi! I have stumbled across your blog while researching international adoptions. Your story is so inspiring and heartfelt and your children seem fantastic. Anyway, I would like to let you know that we still have a Toby the Totbot still in his box. My children just have had zero interest in him. I even tried to sell him at my garage sale and he didn't go. So if you are interested in him, I would send him to you. You can email me personally at bmhoner@yahoo.com if you would like to give Toby a new home (besides my garage :( )
That's a tough break (no pun intended) I said a lil' prayer for Toby.
what a sad story with a happy ending. toby will be missed, and yet there's the hope of a new toby on the horizon. what a sweet offer from missy.
kevin, i will present your questions to mike and ask what he thinks. tough call. tough, tough call.
I think you should sue. Everyone. Eveready. Fisher Price. The guy who assembled it. The screw manufacturer. The store your parents bought it at. The contractor that built that store. And yes, even the cute little old man that greets you at the door with a roll of happy face stickers.
Just kidding. Poor Toby. I would, however, write a quick letter to Fisher Price with the photos and make them send you a new one...it might be a defect with many Toby's and it really could be a dangerous situation. I'd basically just let them know.
I'd assume it is a battery problem, but I am sure I would be wrong.
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